October 07, 2011

ST: Tuition, Parents

Parental guidance

Parents are taking lessons from mathematics to languages so that they can help their children cope better in school

When Ms Ling Yit Lin taught her seven- year-old son Harry Nicholls how to work out the problem sums in his mathematics worksheet, he ended up getting everything wrong.

The Primary 2 pupil came home from school crying, saying that the method she taught him was wrong, even though the answers were correct.

'It was confusing. I asked the teacher who said they use methods such as modelling. I did A-level maths but I didn't do modelling,' says the 40-year-old housewife.

It was the same when she used algebra to help her 10-year-old daughter, who is in Primary 5, solve mathematical problems. She was told her daughter's teacher had taught her to use heuristics instead - which refers to various problem-solving strategies such as finding patterns or working a sum backwards.

So when their school, Zhonghua Primary in Serangoon, held a three-hour free workshop earlier this year, Ms Ling, who is married to an IT manager, immediately signed up for it. She and other parents learnt problem- solving strategies such as model-drawing and heuristics.

The school's head of mathematics, Mrs Lee Peck Har, 42, says it has been conducting the class for parents since 2008 to prepare them better to teach their children at home. 'We believe in garnering the support of parents to help us teach their children with the right method. It also makes our job easier.'

It is the same scenario at West View Primary. Its mathematics department head Lee Lee Cheng, 34, says parents are keen to learn more so they can help their children. 'With these workshops, they are kept informed of the changes in syllabus and are equipped with skills they can use when coaching their children.'

It helps to bring parents up to date, especially since the way the subject in school is taught has evolved.

'The maths syllabus today emphasises problem- solving. It requires pupils to apply concepts and skills to a range of situations, including open-ended and real- world problems,' says Madam Lee.

Principals interviewed say they have been organising such workshops because more parents are asking for them. West View principal Rashidah Abdul Rasip, whose school has workshops in English, mother tongue and mathematics, says parents often lament that they want to help their child but are unsure of what to do. 'At times, their child refuses to listen to their advice.'

Mathematics seems to be parents' biggest bugbear. Apart from free lessons by mainstream schools, private tuition centres have also jumped on the bandwagon.

Private tuition centre Neuromath's principal trainer Norman Tien, 44, started offering classes for parents a few years ago after they asked for it. It now trains 30 to 100 parents in each session, which costs $280 for a three-hour block to $490 for a full-day workshop.

But conscientious parents seek help not only in mathematics but also in a broad range of subjects.

Many are working parents and spend precious weekends or weekday nights picking up the intricacies of creative writing, learning to sound words using phonics or brushing up on tips to ace Chinese examinations.

Madam Daphne Choo, 41, a part-time pre-school teacher, took lessons at enrichment school The Alternative Story on weekends. The school has free help sessions for parents whose children attend its classes.

Madam Choo, who aims to help her daughters Shan Min, 11, and Shan Lyn, seven, ace English, says: 'I've learnt how to help them be exam-smart. For comprehension, they should read the question before reading the passage. So I remind Shan Min about that.'

Even parents with older children have found it useful to go for workshops. Lawyer Shirley Lo, 43, who has two children in secondary school and one in primary school, attends such workshops in her children's schools as they give her a better idea on how to help them tackle a subject.

When her son entered Secondary 1 this year, she went for two seminars organised by the humanities department. She says: 'It has helped me to better understand how my son can study geography and history more effectively. He was going through the same content during curriculum time, so we were able to discuss some of the skills and strategies.'

Even parents with children as young as 18 months are also signing up for classes in phonics to give them a headstart in reading, says Madam Jannalin Ng. The 39-year-old conducts a home-based phonics class for parents. It costs $350 for seven lessons.

Madam Fion Poh, 37, a church worker who has two children aged five and 21/2, takes leave to attend the class on Monday mornings. 'I can guide them better now that I know how to sound the letters.'

But educators say parents should not overly stress their children.

The head of Lorna Whiston's teacher development unit, Mrs Anita Wilks, 57, says parents are feeling the pressure for their children. They feel that schools are expecting children to complete more demanding tasks and they want to help them. But she adds: 'We can guide children when they are very young but they need to take things at their own pace to some extent.'

Zhonghua's principal Bucktha Seelan says even though more parents are asking for these workshops, it does not mean more stress for the child. 'If parents are attending classes so that they are more aware of what the child is going through, it should not overly stress the kid. They are just one more source of assistance the child can turn to for homework help.'

Parental guidance

Parents are taking lessons from mathematics to languages so that they can help their children cope better in school

When Ms Ling Yit Lin taught her seven- year-old son Harry Nicholls how to work out the problem sums in his mathematics worksheet, he ended up getting everything wrong.

The Primary 2 pupil came home from school crying, saying that the method she taught him was wrong, even though the answers were correct.

'It was confusing. I asked the teacher who said they use methods such as modelling. I did A-level maths but I didn't do modelling,' says the 40-year-old housewife.

It was the same when she used algebra to help her 10-year-old daughter, who is in Primary 5, solve mathematical problems. She was told her daughter's teacher had taught her to use heuristics instead - which refers to various problem-solving strategies such as finding patterns or working a sum backwards.

So when their school, Zhonghua Primary in Serangoon, held a three-hour free workshop earlier this year, Ms Ling, who is married to an IT manager, immediately signed up for it. She and other parents learnt problem- solving strategies such as model-drawing and heuristics.

The school's head of mathematics, Mrs Lee Peck Har, 42, says it has been conducting the class for parents since 2008 to prepare them better to teach their children at home. 'We believe in garnering the support of parents to help us teach their children with the right method. It also makes our job easier.'

It is the same scenario at West View Primary. Its mathematics department head Lee Lee Cheng, 34, says parents are keen to learn more so they can help their children. 'With these workshops, they are kept informed of the changes in syllabus and are equipped with skills they can use when coaching their children.'

It helps to bring parents up to date, especially since the way the subject in school is taught has evolved.

'The maths syllabus today emphasises problem- solving. It requires pupils to apply concepts and skills to a range of situations, including open-ended and real- world problems,' says Madam Lee.

Principals interviewed say they have been organising such workshops because more parents are asking for them. West View principal Rashidah Abdul Rasip, whose school has workshops in English, mother tongue and mathematics, says parents often lament that they want to help their child but are unsure of what to do. 'At times, their child refuses to listen to their advice.'

Mathematics seems to be parents' biggest bugbear. Apart from free lessons by mainstream schools, private tuition centres have also jumped on the bandwagon.

Private tuition centre Neuromath's principal trainer Norman Tien, 44, started offering classes for parents a few years ago after they asked for it. It now trains 30 to 100 parents in each session, which costs $280 for a three-hour block to $490 for a full-day workshop.

But conscientious parents seek help not only in mathematics but also in a broad range of subjects.

Many are working parents and spend precious weekends or weekday nights picking up the intricacies of creative writing, learning to sound words using phonics or brushing up on tips to ace Chinese examinations.

Madam Daphne Choo, 41, a part-time pre-school teacher, took lessons at enrichment school The Alternative Story on weekends. The school has free help sessions for parents whose children attend its classes.

Madam Choo, who aims to help her daughters Shan Min, 11, and Shan Lyn, seven, ace English, says: 'I've learnt how to help them be exam-smart. For comprehension, they should read the question before reading the passage. So I remind Shan Min about that.'

Even parents with older children have found it useful to go for workshops. Lawyer Shirley Lo, 43, who has two children in secondary school and one in primary school, attends such workshops in her children's schools as they give her a better idea on how to help them tackle a subject.

When her son entered Secondary 1 this year, she went for two seminars organised by the humanities department. She says: 'It has helped me to better understand how my son can study geography and history more effectively. He was going through the same content during curriculum time, so we were able to discuss some of the skills and strategies.'

Even parents with children as young as 18 months are also signing up for classes in phonics to give them a headstart in reading, says Madam Jannalin Ng. The 39-year-old conducts a home-based phonics class for parents. It costs $350 for seven lessons.

Madam Fion Poh, 37, a church worker who has two children aged five and 21/2, takes leave to attend the class on Monday mornings. 'I can guide them better now that I know how to sound the letters.'

But educators say parents should not overly stress their children.

The head of Lorna Whiston's teacher development unit, Mrs Anita Wilks, 57, says parents are feeling the pressure for their children. They feel that schools are expecting children to complete more demanding tasks and they want to help them. But she adds: 'We can guide children when they are very young but they need to take things at their own pace to some extent.'

Zhonghua's principal Bucktha Seelan says even though more parents are asking for these workshops, it does not mean more stress for the child. 'If parents are attending classes so that they are more aware of what the child is going through, it should not overly stress the kid. They are just one more source of assistance the child can turn to for homework help.'